Jerusalem—The revelation this week that a Palestinian released in the prisoner exchange for Israeli captive Gilad Shalit three years ago has been rearrested for the murder of an Israeli police officer has revived an emotional debate in Israel over the price to be paid in such cases.
Ziad Awad, a 42-year-old Hamas activist, was among 1,027 prisoners released in exchange for the single Israeli soldier. His case is expected to loom large if the three Israeli youths kidnapped on the West Bank last week are used as bargaining chips by their captors seeking another mass release of Palestinian prisoners.
Awad was arrested last month and was thus not among the 300 Hamas activists detained during the current search for the missing youths. Officials did not announce his detention until this week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the Shalit exchange because of public pressure after the captured soldier had been held in captivity in Gaza for five years. There were some, particularly in the security establishment, who were critical of the decision at the time and their voices are being heard more strongly now in the wake of Awad’s detention.
Retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, who was head of Israeli military intelligence at the time of the exchange, said on Channel Two Television last night that the Shalit decision had been made at the political level. Firmness and astute negotiating could have avoided such a high price, he said.
Of the 1,027 prisoners, Israel released 600, including Awad, into the West Bank. The remainder were released in the Gaza Strip, where no Israelis live.
In the three years since the Shalit exchange, Israel has rearrested 75 of those released for violating the terms of their release, such as the obligation to check in at regular intervals with the military authorities. Another 55 involved in the Shalit exchange are among those detained in the current search. If a military court decides that they were in violation of their parole, they would likely have to serve out their original sentence, which in some cases is life imprisonment.
There has been no sign of life from the three kidnapped youths and Israeli officials say they do not know if they are still alive. If they are, the government will once again be faced with the dilemma of what price to pay for them. If the youths are known to be in Israel or the West Bank, Israel will likely attempt to free them in a military operation, as in the past. However, if they have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip or across the border into Jordan, there may be no viable military option.